Never again, but sadly history repeats itself again and again. I know he was talking about his trip to LHP, but it’s also a fitting epitaph to the decisions that the government makes. The people perish for lack of vision…..

Think about it a different way. 350,000 Cruise ship tourists spend the same amount as 12,000 land based tourists, based on the Ministry of Tourism’s own data. Same revenue, better chance of repeat business. Now let’s consider the environmental cost of 350,000 cruise ship tourists, which means 70 cruise ships with their exhaust and effluent. Which do you think costs the Bahamas more in infrastructure costs, environmental damage? Why must we pander to a black hole tourism model?

That was an extremely well written letter. I believe it’s a great summation of the many points we all have been making from day one. What gives it more gravitas is that it comes from a Bahamian. She’s not the first Bahamian to say it though. A long line of loyal, fiercely proud Bahamians have said it before and I have no doubt will say it again. The best analogy of what the government and some citizens are endorsing comes from the arena (literally) of hockey. Those that endorse the foreign control are like the hockey teams that trade away their future draft picks, their future that is bright with potential and control, all for a slick pro who looks like he might help them make a run for the playoffs but more often than not just separates them from more money. Except here’s the kicker. They usually don’t make the playoffs, and the Bahamas and it’s beautiful people don’t make the championship money nor wear the ring. And if they keep trading their future, their most prized possession, they never will.

Good on you “Head-Knowles” . Shows us all what a committed social community can achieve. Sad to find the wreckage rather than a survivor though. Tough day.

Yeah, survey commissioned by the cruise industry. Well I’m sure there was no skewing of results there, just like the Disney survey. Plus, this survey says it was taken on the two public ports, not any of the 5private ports where tourist spend is captured much more effectively and completely by the cruise line. Also interesting that this survey is completed just weeks after D’Aguilar scraps the incentive. Funny that.

The opposition seems to grow stronger and louder every day.

Maybe Ms. Prunty and Mr. Vahle shouldn’t have read from the same script. Same damn words, same damnable outcome for the pristine land of Lighthouse Point.

Why all the focus on One Eleuthera Foundation? The Plan is put forth by the a Lighthouse *Partners* Plan.

The Disney Plan is funded by the business operations of Disney, Disney being owned by all the shareholders, many of them wealthy Americans.

The LPP Plan is put forth by a coalition of 4 partners. If you have read the plan (it is widely available) you will see that one of the partners is the Leon Levy Foundation, the same group who founded and continue to support the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve in Governor’s Harbour. They are now funding an expansion of the Preserve.

As the LHP Plan states: "The Leon Levy Foundation (LLF) is a private foundation that supports the preservation, understanding, and expansion of knowledge in nature, art and humanities, the ancient world, and human rights. Since its inception, the Foundation has made grants totaling nearly $310 million.” Later in the plan it is stated that Leon Levy Foundation is "a New York city-based foundation with assets in excess of $500 million and we are prepared to make a bid for Lighthouse Point in Consortium with a team of other philanthropists who are interested in seeing sustainable job growth and development on South Eleuthera.”

So Philanthropists fund the LPH Plan. Shareholders fund the Disney plan. Why does it matter to you?

I hope you recognize that both plans are being funded by wealth. The difference being that the people sponsoring the LHP Plan do so because they want to save a national treasure and because they want to improve the lives of people living in South Eleuthera. The people sponsoring the Disney plan do so because they want to make a profit for their mostly-American shareholders.

Eleuthera is blessed to have been given the support of the Leon Levy Foundation. Please make an effort to visit the Native Plant Preserve. You will see what a sustainable development can look like. You will see Bahamians with full-time permanent jobs. You will see the protection of Bahamian culture. You will see Bahamians working to educate young Bahamians. It’s an excellent place to go to see what eco-tourism looks like on Eleuthera. Make sure you check out the bush medicine.

Great letter, Pam! It is when the government shows leadership and invests in their own people that the Bahamas shall truly rise to its full glory. Preserve the history, the valuable resource for Bahamians. Develop right sized, Bahamian owned and operated businesses and plan to train and equip the future generations for success.

Stating that environmental concerns will not be considered in this decision is an attempt to “short and distort” the Anti-Disney side. Not including the entire spectrum of impact on the Bahamas and Bahamians is the myopic posturing of a narcissistic leader, and I use the term “leader” with great reservation. Not including the impact on the natural resources of the country, the greatest resource aside from the citizens the Bahamas has, is cutting off your nose to simply spite your face. To use the argument that a previous plan 10 years earlier that never materialized that would have been much more harmful is truly ridiculous. That is akin to advising citizens not to take any precautions for an impending category 4 hurricane, because the previous hurricane was a Category 5, so this one isn’t as bad! Oh, and besides the category 5 hurricane veered away and never happened. It is the reasoning that holds no water, not the defence of the environment.